


a little bit of hope these days

by blazeofglory



Series: holding on [4]
Category: Not Another D&D Podcast (Podcast)
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Intimacy, M/M, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26187247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blazeofglory/pseuds/blazeofglory
Summary: A night in at Hardwon and Mavrus's stump in the Crick.Hardwon practices drawing and Mavrus volunteers to model.
Relationships: Mavrus/Hardwon Surefoot
Series: holding on [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596292
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	a little bit of hope these days

“This is stupid,” Hardwon says with a huff, setting his pencil aside while Mavrus watches in amusement. 

“You’re just out of practice,” Mavrus replies, shrugging. “You should keep trying.”

“I’m just not  _ good _ at it.” Hardwon sighs heavily, staring down at the messy sketches littering the table. Not a single one of them are good, and he usually wouldn’t care, because he usually doesn’t show off his art--but Mavrus wanted to see him draw. And Hardwon wants Mavrus to like what he sees. 

The sketches are all of dwarves, which are really the only people Hardwon has ever drawn. It’s what he knows. But today, he can’t get the beards right and he’s struggling with proportions, and Mavrus’s quiet presence is just a little unnerving. It’s so unlike Mavrus to be quiet; he’s still been moving around, though, as Hardwon’s seen from the corner of his eyes. Mavrus has been fidgeting with his hands, with scraps of paper, and he even braided and unbraided his hair a few times. 

It’s still braided now, though a few pieces fall loosely around his face. He’s so fucking cute. 

“I think you’re good at it,” Mavrus replies earnestly. “Just keep trying? Would it help if you drew from life?” 

Hardwon shrugs. “I don’t really wanna draw a bowl of fruit, man.”

Mavrus chuckles. “I meant, you could… try to draw me?” 

“Oh.” Hardwon considers it, suddenly nervous. “You’re just…”

“You don’t have to,” Mavrus quickly amends, probably aiming for nonchalance and missing by a mile. 

“I just want to do you justice,” Hardwon says quickly, and Mavrus’s eyes snap up to meet his. Hardwon licks his bottom lip nervously. “I would want it to look good. Because you look so good.” 

Mavrus begins to grin. 

“Use me as your practice,” Mavrus replies. “I can model for you and you can draw me, ‘til you like what’s on the page.” 

“You won’t get bored?” Hardwon asks, eyebrows raised. 

Mavrus shrugs. “As long as I get to stare at you and I don’t have to sit still? I could stay like this for hours.” 

“That’s romantic as hell, dude,” Hardwon declares, then leans over the table to kiss Mavrus’s smiling mouth. 

Mavrus kisses back, and Hardwon presses closer--but the table digs into his stomach, a reminder that he has a  _ goal _ here, and that goal isn’t to get it on in their kitchen. 

That’s not a bad idea, though. It’s actually a very appealing idea…

But Mavrus pulls away, laughing softly as he settles back in his chair. 

“Don’t kiss me like that if you’re not gonna finish what you start,” Mavrus teases. 

Hardwon grins. “We could…” 

Mavrus kicks lightly at Hardwon’s ankle under the table, and they both laugh. Mavrus leans his elbow on the table, then rests his head in his hand, and… it’s insane that Hardwon never thought to try drawing him before. That face should be immortalized by every artist in the goddamn world; not just Hardwon and his messy sketches. 

He’ll do his best, though. 

“You already know what I look like,” Mavrus says, smiling mischievously. “Gonna keep staring and hope the drawing draws itself?” 

“First off, there has  _ got _ to be a spell that does that,” Hardwon replies, grinning. “And second? Shut up, you’re hot and I like to look at you.” 

Mavrus grins right back. “Compliment me one more time and we’ll both get too distracted to get anything else done tonight.” 

And isn’t  _ that  _ tempting. 

But Hardwon really has missed making art, and now that the idea is in his head, he  _ needs _ to draw Mavrus. So he picks up his pencil.

Hardwon does his best to stay focused, sketching out the shape of Mavrus’s face--but it’s so easy to get distracted by just looking at him. Every time Hardwon looks up, Mavrus meets his eyes, and there’s something intense about it. It feels intimate, actually, Hardwon realizes. And what could really be more intimate than this? There are no walls, no barriers between them anymore--there haven’t been for a long time. They’re comfortable enough together to just sit here in silence, staring at each other. 

It takes a few attempts for Hardwon to get the defined edge of Mavrus’s jaw just right, then that hint of stubble that Hardwon likes to feel under his hands when he pulls Mavrus in for a kiss. Next, those sharp cheekbones and his slightly crooked nose--and Hardwon loves the story of how it got broken. Mavrus tells it when he’s drunk sometimes, reminiscing about a summer a few years back and a group of friends that are planning to come visit them at the Crick soon. 

Mavrus’s eyes take the longest to draw--Hardwon keeps losing the thread of what he’s sketching every time they lock eyes. Pencil can’t do justice to Mavrus’s eyes. Maybe Hardwon will learn to paint, just to capture that exact shade of deep, rich brown, and the gold ring around his pupils… and the more he looks, the more gold flecks he sees. Mavrus blinks, but doesn’t look away from a second--Hardwon wonders what he’s thinking about, what he sees on Hardwon’s face. 

Affection, certainly. Attraction. Admiration. Hardwon licks his bottom lip again and Mavrus’s eyes dart down to track the movement. 

Finally, Hardwon turns back to the sketch, and he notices in his peripheral vision that Mavrus has reached his limit on sitting still. He’s already begun untying his braid, but he pauses, and Hardwon looks up when he notices. 

“How do you want me?” Mavrus asks softly, and Hardwon’s eyebrows go up immediately. Mavrus rolls his eyes fondly. “You know I mean my hair.” 

“Down,” Hardwon answers without needing to think about it. He watches as Mavrus easily undoes the braid and his silky black hair falls loosely around his face. For all the time they’ve known each other now, Hardwon still isn’t used to how fucking  _ gorgeous _ his boyfriend is. “Hey, if you’re taking requests, you should take your shirt off. For the sake of the art.” 

Mavrus nods solemnly. “You’re right, babe. For the art.” 

Then Mavrus tugs his shirt over his head and drops it to the floor shamelessly. Hardwon has absolutely no regrets, eagerly taking in the sight of Mavrus’s bare chest--but he does get the feeling that he won’t get much farther into this drawing tonight. And judging by the amused look on his face, Mavrus knows this too. 

“How’s that?” Mavrus asks. 

“Fucking perfect,” Hardwon replies immediately. It’s hard to drag his eyes away, but he forces himself to turn back to his sketch--he won’t give in this easily. 

It’ll be soon, though. He can’t resist Mavrus for long, and why would he even want to? 

“I don’t think I’ve ever drawn horns before,” Hardwon comments, biting his lip as he draws. He erases a section and then draws it again. 

“You’ve never drawn horny before?” Mavrus teases gleefully. “I dunno if I believe that, I’ve seen your softcore dwarf porn.” 

“It’s art,” Hardwon refutes pointlessly, blushing even as he grins, then teases right back, “This  _ is  _ the horniest I have ever been while drawing, though.” 

Mavrus laughs easily. “Is it a motivating factor to finish it? Or is it making it… harder?” 

Hardwon snorts and doesn’t answer, turning his gaze downward once more, sketching in Mavrus’s hair. The drawing is actually starting to come together--the horns aren’t quite right, but the smirk is, and so are those eyes. It’s a decent likeness, actually--something Hardwon could imagine bringing with him if he ever had to go on a long journey without Mavrus. 

But Hardwon has no plan of ever going anywhere without Mavrus. They already saved the world as a team--if anything crazy comes up again, no way in hell would Hardwon be facing it alone. So maybe he’ll just keep this sketch tucked away somewhere, because he doesn’t need it. Mavrus is right here, and he’s beautiful, and he’s looking at Hardwon with such naked affection, it actually makes his heart skip a beat. 

“It’s almost done,” Hardwon says, a little bit later. “I mean, it’s my first draft, so it’s not perfect, but I think it looks like you.” 

Mavrus leans forward eagerly. “Can I see it?” 

Hardwon is still nervous about it, but he doesn’t hesitate before passing it over to Mavrus, who takes it carefully. 

Mavrus is quiet for a long moment, eyes fixed on the page. Hardwon fidgets nervously. “Do you like it?” 

When Mavrus looks up, his eyes are wide and bright--like he’s about to cry. And Mavrus cries about as often as Hardwon does, which is… almost never. 

“It’s me,” Mavrus says softly. 

“It’s not really finished,” Hardwon says. “Sorry about the horns--” 

“No, it’s--” Mavrus interrupts Hardwon, then pauses, like he has to gather his thoughts. He looks back down at the drawing held so carefully in his hands and finally says, “It’s just that... this is how you see me.” 

Hardwon frowns. “Is that… bad?” 

“Oh, fuck, no, it’s good,” Mavrus assures immediately, reaching across the table to grab Hardwon’s hand. His golden brown eyes are so intense, and as Hardwon watches, a few tears slip free. Mavrus whispers, “You love me. I can see it. And this is--I don’t know why I’m crying. I already  _ know  _ you love me.” 

A slow smile spreads across Hardwon’s face as the anxiety fades. 

“Yeah,” Hardwon says. “I love you.” 

“I fucking love you too, dude,” Mavrus replies, and then he sets the paper aside and gets up, rounding the table and leaning in to kiss Hardwon hard. Hardwon reaches up, threading his fingers through Mavrus’s hair, nipping at Mavrus’s lower lip, kissing him hard. After a moment, Mavrus pulls back with a wild grin. 

“Are you done for the night?” Mavrus asks pointedly. 

Hardwon pretends to think about it. “Well, I could use some practice drawing hands if you wanna keep modeling for me.” 

“I have better things I could be doing with my hands,” Mavrus replies. He grabs Hardwon’s shirt and Hardwon obligingly stands, grinning at his boyfriend. Mavrus kisses the grin right off his face. 

When Mavrus pulls away from the kiss, he leads Hardwon by the hand over to their bed, tucked into the corner of the stump, and he teases, “Maybe you should write a poem about me next.” 

“I have better things I could be doing with my mouth,” Hardwon replies, and Mavrus laughs, and Hardwon follows Mavrus to bed. 


End file.
